6. Epidemics and pandemics

Author(s):  
Dorothy H. Crawford

Once an acute emerging virus is successfully established in a population, it generally settles into a mode of cyclical epidemics during which many susceptible people are infected and become immune to further attack. When most are immune, the virus moves on, only returning when a new susceptible population has emerged, generally consisting of those born since the last epidemic. ‘Epidemics and pandemics’ considers historical epidemics of viruses, vaccination programmes, and the spread of viruses from one continent to another—pandemics. Airborne viruses mainly cause respiratory illnesses, like flu, the common cold, or pneumonia, while those transmitted by faecal–oral contamination, like rotaviruses and noroviruses, cause intestinal upsets with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Mathes ◽  
Renee Bellanger

Herbal preparations are sold as dietary supplements in the United States and are subject to the rules and regulations of various health care and economic government agencies that monitor the sale of these products. One approach to assessing the usefulness of these substances is to focus on one particular disease state and then review both the primary literature and expert opinion. The common cold is an important illness due to its recurring nature, the number of people it afflicts, and its economic impact on patients. Dietary supplements have been shown to decrease the duration, the severity, and the frequency of symptoms of the common cold. The most commonly available supplements are zinc, ginseng, echinacea, and vitamin C. Data from expert opinion suggested that certain supplements are more beneficial than others to maintain one’s health during episodes of the common cold. Expert opinion regarding the use of dietary supplements in other related infectious respiratory illnesses, such as the flu, when aggregated with expert opinion findings regarding the common cold were not contradictory. The primary literature provided insights into specific dosages and compounds that may be used in practice.


Author(s):  
Ghotekar D S ◽  
Vishal N Kushare ◽  
Sagar V Ghotekar

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness such as respiratory diseases or gastrointestinal diseases. Respiratory diseases can range from the common cold to more severe diseases. A novel coronavirus outbreak was first documented in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. A global coordinated effort is needed to stop the further spread of the virus. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been identified in humans previously. Once scientists determine exactly what coronavirus it is, they give it a name (as in the case of COVID-19, the virus causing it is SARS-CoV-2).


BMJ ◽  
1925 ◽  
Vol 2 (3386) ◽  
pp. 980-980
Author(s):  
F. R. Walters
Keyword(s):  

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Paolo Bonilauri ◽  
Gianluca Rugna

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a well-known group of viruses in veterinary medicine. We currently know four genera of Coronavirus, alfa, beta, gamma, and delta. Wild, farmed, and pet animals are infected with CoVs belonging to all four genera. Seven human respiratory coronaviruses have still been identified, four of which cause upper-respiratory-tract diseases, specifically, the common cold, and the last three that have emerged cause severe acute respiratory syndromes, SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. In this review we briefly describe animal coronaviruses and what we actually know about SARS-CoV-2 infection in farm and domestic animals.


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